


I Will

by doomsdev



Series: Riddlebird Prompt Drabbles [3]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21555907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomsdev/pseuds/doomsdev
Summary: Edward held tighter on his wound to keep more blood from spilling, only to feel it ooze between his fingers and drip onto the hardwood floor. How was it this hard to find a first aid kit?———Also titled “The Riddler Gets Beat Up: The Trilogy”
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Series: Riddlebird Prompt Drabbles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1495406
Comments: 1
Kudos: 74





	I Will

**Author's Note:**

> It’s a good thing I managed to nearly cut my finger off in between writing this so I didn’t have to do too much research for writing this.
> 
> Thank you to my dear friend who actually gave me a reason to finish this.

The Riddler stumbles into the mansion in the middle of the night, his attempts at being quiet failed as he tips over a metal umbrella holder by the door. As if it’d help, he still quietly shut the door behind him. He holds onto his bleeding abdomen tightly as he stumbles through the hall and tries to find his way to the closest first aid kit. 

Ideally, Edward would stitch up the stab wound on his side, put whatever makeup he could find over the bruises on his face, and never let Oswald know about his injuries. He couldn’t handle the hour long scolding he’d get from his husband or seeing him so worried. As usual, none of his ideas seem to go as planned. 

Oswald sat in the living room in front of the crackling fire. He nursed a glass of whiskey in his hands, tense as he sat and waited. Edward usually always told him his new upcoming plans or alerted him when he was on his way out. Tonight, he slipped out right before dinner, leaving without so much of a goodbye. Knowing Gordon or the Batman, Ed could be sitting in a holding cell or beaten half to death in a dirty alleyway. Before his mind could come up with a thousand other places his husband was, the sound of crashing and stumbling tore him away. 

“Edward?” He called, rising to his feet carefully.

“Oh, hey, uh...” Ed cursed under his breath, stumbling to find a bathroom in this maze of a giant house and leaving a trail of blood behind him. He’s lived here for years yet can’t find one washroom. “Shouldn’t you be resting, Oswald? It’s rather late...” He called as he opened a door and landed on a dusty coat closet. 

“You disappeared, how was I supposed to rest not knowing if you were safe?” Oswald opened the sliding doors into the hallway and caught Edward, slowly closing a door that led to a basement, something he’d have to explore later on. 

The Riddler, mighty and powerful was he, squeaked in surprise after being caught. “Ah! Uhm...” He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked everywhere except at Oswald. “Do we have a first aid kit somewhere?” He held tighter on his wound to keep more blood from spilling, only to feel it ooze between his fingers. 

“Oh, Ed. Come, come sit.” Oswald ushered him to sit in the living room and rushed to get a first aid kit. 

Ed groaned as he sat on the expensive couch, steadying himself before taking off his green coat and black dress shirt, tugging away the tie and tossing it to the side. When he lifted up the dark undershirt, he could see the gaping wound on his right side, noting that his assailant missed any major organs. 

Oswald shuffled back into the room, first aid kit in hand. When he catches sight of the deep tear in his flesh, his breath catches in his throat. He feels fear, sadness, and anger, each battling for who will show first. Anger, of course, wins. 

“I cannot believe you, Edward.” He scolds, only getting a grumble in response as the kit is snatched out of his hands. Ed fumbled with the kit till he found what he needed to start stitching himself up as Oswald continues to rant. 

“Leaving in the middle of the night only to come back, beaten and _stabbed_ , for God’s sake!” He sat beside Ed, moving his discarded clothes out of the way. “You could have easily taken some of my men with you, avoided this, and come back safe and sound.”

Ed stayed silent, cleaning off the wound and inspecting it before grabbing the needle and surgical thread to stitch himself up. “The whiskey.” He grunted, nodding his head towards the half full bottle Oswald had left out. Oswald handed it over and Ed downed it quickly before placing it to the side. He rarely drank but with how much pain he was in, or about to be in, he needed something to ease himself. He groaned as the needle pushed through his skin. 

“You are a mess, Edward. Careful.” Oswald nervously watching as the needle moved through his skin. His hand moved almost elegantly despite his situation, skills he had picked up from his time in forensics still embedded in his mind. 

“I am careful, Oswald.” Edward glanced up at him with a frown, holding back another pained noise as the needle pushed through his skin once more. 

“Clearly not!” He gestured and rose to his feet again, beginning to pace back and forth. “The Riddler, smartest man in Gotham, can’t keep himself safe for a few hours at night!” He suddenly stopped and turned to face Ed, his whole body tense with anger. “Who hurt you? I swear, I will rip them apart when I find them!”

“No one, dear.” Edward finished the stitch and sighed. He packed away the thread and needle and placed a bandage over it before pulling down his undershirt and leaning back into the couch. He took another swig of the whiskey, wincing at the burn. 

“Edward.” Oswald warned, taking a step closer. 

“It was no one.” Ed restated firmly. As beautiful as it was to see the Penguin kill out of pure rage, Ed wasn’t ready to admit his loss in a fight with some thugs. “Sit, my love, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Oswald opened his mouth to say something snarky in response but closed it, going to sit beside him with a huff. Edward winced as he lifted his arm to pull him closer. He let himself rest his head on his shoulder, feeling the remaining anger leave his body. 

“You know I hate seeing you like this.” Penguin muttered. “Beaten, bleeding out all over my nice furniture.” Ed chuckled and rubbed his shoulder, pressing an apologetic kiss to the top of his head. 

“I will pay for a new one if it bothers you so much.” 

“That’s not what bothers me, Ed. The thought of you bleeding to death in some dirty alley alone, it frightens me more than you can imagine.”

The Riddler stayed silent for a moment. He’d never been good when it came to the emotional side of their relationship, he reluctantly admitted. His emotions were a puzzle itself and not being able to solve them frustrated him to no end. Nonetheless, he always did his best when it came to Oswald. He stayed quiet for a moment before he managed to string together the right words. 

“I... I can’t promise this will be the last time I get hurt.” He started. Oswald nodded in response. He knew, of course. In their line of work, it’d be foolish not to expect it, but whenever Edward was hurt, all he could see was the loved ones who died in his arms. That couldn’t happen again. 

“But, I can promise you one thing...” Edward gently held Penguin’s face and forced their eyes to meet. “I will always come back to you, Oswald, no matter what.”

Oswald smiled, feeling overwhelmed with affection and relief. He leaned forward, careful not to press against any bruises, and kissed him. 

“Thank you, Edward.” He whispered against his lips. Ed smiled before kissing him again. 

“Go get some rest, Oswald. I’ll sleep here.” Ed pulled away, kicking off his shoes and sloppily pushing them to the side. 

“Could I sleep here with you instead?” Penguin asked. 

“I don’t plan on running off again.”

“I know, I just... I would rather stay with you.” 

Edward paused, then nodded. They adjusted their places on the couch till they both laid cuddled together on the couch. Once they settled, all was quiet except for the fire nearby. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what happened?” Oswald tried once more. “You know I won’t judge.”

Edward sighed. “Goodnight, Oswald.”

Knowing he wouldn’t get much more for the night, he mumbled his goodnight in response and closed his eyes. The crackling fire eventually died out and they fell fast asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> _And all the quiet nights you bear_   
>  _Seal them up with care_   
>  _No one needs to know they're there_   
>  _For I will hold them for you_
> 
> I Will by Mitski


End file.
